Translation: We Want to Put A Liquor Store, What Do You Think?

I saw this downtown last week and was reminded of this Ted X Talk by Dave Meslin. He proposed that “apathy as we think we know it doesn’t actually exist, but rather that people do care but we live in a world that actively discourages engagement.”
He used city notices like these as an example. How likely is it that someone driving by is going to know what this is all about? In case you’re still not sure, there’s a proposal to build a liquor store here, and the city is trying to let people know how to give feedback. Easy to parse, right?
If it’s that hard just to figure out what the signsays, how likely  is it someone will actively engage in this process? If you want people to be involved, why not present the information in a way that’s simple, clear, and actively encourages feedback?
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I posted the full talk and wrote about in on my blog in more depth last year.